WSJ.com : Personal Finance The latest personal finance news, analysis and insights, covering retirement, how to manage your savings, tax guidance and more. https://www.wsj.com/personal-finance/ en-us Copyright © Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All rights reserved. Thu, 08 Oct 2026 15:47:06 GMT WSJ.com : Personal Finance https://www.wsj.com/img/wsj_sm_logo.gif https://www.wsj.com/personal-finance/ WP-WSJ-0003956596 How Families Can Beat 7% Mortgage Rates and Lower Their Tax Bills Having relatives who trust each other opens the door to tax-efficient wealth sharing. https://www.wsj.com/personal-finance/taxes/how-families-can-beat-7-mortgage-rates-and-lower-their-tax-bills-8d947956?mod=rss_personalfinance Thu, 08 Oct 2026 09:30:00 GMT Laura Saunders Kiersten Essenpreis for WSJ WP-WSJ-0002793903 Your Child Now Has a ‘Trump Account.’ Here’s What to Know. Parents must claim accounts to request $1,000 in government seed money. https://www.wsj.com/personal-finance/trump-accounts-kids-explained-4b75b803?mod=rss_personalfinance Wed, 07 Oct 2026 18:20:00 GMT Ashlea Ebeling Richard Rubin Emil Lendof/WSJ, iStock WP-WSJ-0003954487 These Influencers Are on a Mission to Stop People From Paying Medical Bills As costs to patients explode, so do social-media posts suggesting people think twice about paying high bills. https://www.wsj.com/health/healthcare/these-influencers-are-on-a-mission-to-stop-people-from-paying-medical-bills-4843da3d?mod=rss_personalfinance Wed, 07 Oct 2026 02:00:00 GMT Peter Loftus Uncredited WP-WSJ-0003949766 Trump Accounts’ Extraordinary Expansion Puts Individual Stocks Into Kids’ Holdings The latest shift in the program ties children’s wealth building directly to the fate of particular companies. https://www.wsj.com/politics/policy/trump-accounts-kids-individual-stocks-6c8b8811?mod=rss_personalfinance Mon, 05 Oct 2026 18:34:00 GMT Ashlea Ebeling Richard Rubin Win McNamee/Getty Images WP-WSJ-0003758197 How to Keep Your Estate Plan From Tearing Your Family Apart It’s often the stuff you haven’t even thought of that can create the biggest divisions. https://www.wsj.com/personal-finance/estate-planning-family-relationships-274ff75f?mod=rss_personalfinance Sun, 04 Oct 2026 14:00:00 GMT Jonathan I. Shenkman Rob Dobi for WSJ WP-WSJ-0003940259 Americans Can’t Stop Watching Videos of People Paying Down Their Debt Viewers return to cheer, judge and see whether the balances went up or down. https://www.wsj.com/articles/americans-cant-stop-watching-videos-of-people-paying-down-their-debt-acda4b22?mod=rss_personalfinance Sat, 03 Oct 2026 23:00:00 GMT Dalvin Brown Tianna Carter; Tristan Duplichain; Kayla Rose WP-WSJ-0003895011 Four Big IRA Mistakes That You Can’t Undo Rollover situations in particular are rife with land mines that can trigger taxes and penalties. https://www.wsj.com/personal-finance/taxes/four-big-ira-mistakes-c1fb355c?mod=rss_personalfinance Tue, 29 Sep 2026 09:30:00 GMT Leonard Sloane Miriam Martincic for WSJ WP-WSJ-0003929502 Treasury Takes Aim at Tax-Avoiding Investment Strategies The government moved to block some versions of an ETF maneuver known as “351 conversion transactions,” while flagging others. https://www.wsj.com/personal-finance/taxes/treasury-takes-aim-at-tax-avoiding-investment-strategies-b178ca40?mod=rss_personalfinance Mon, 28 Sep 2026 21:07:00 GMT Miriam Gottfried Richard Rubin Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images WP-WSJ-0003902283 Why I’m Trying to Stop the IRS From Giving Me a Tax Refund This Year Overpaying taxes through the year can bring an unwanted refund, but underpaying them could bring penalties. https://www.wsj.com/personal-finance/taxes/my-attempt-to-stop-the-irs-from-giving-me-a-tax-refund-this-year-a628b23a?mod=rss_personalfinance Fri, 18 Sep 2026 09:30:00 GMT Laura Saunders Kiersten Essenpreis for WSJ WP-WSJ-0003866226 How to Play the Retirement Tax Guessing Game Smart retirement-savings strategies can save a lot of taxes, if you can take advantage of them. https://www.wsj.com/personal-finance/taxes/how-to-play-the-retirement-tax-guessing-game-e7d31f6d?mod=rss_personalfinance Fri, 04 Sep 2026 09:30:00 GMT Laura Saunders Kiersten Essenpreis for WSJ WP-WSJ-0003852702 Long-Delayed Tax Bill Comes Due for Opportunity Zone Investors The Treasury is likely to receive tens of billions in capital-gains payments that were deferred for years. https://www.wsj.com/personal-finance/taxes/long-delayed-tax-bill-comes-due-for-opportunity-zone-investors-1c81969a?mod=rss_personalfinance Mon, 31 Aug 2026 09:30:00 GMT Richard Rubin Joshua Lott/Washington Post/Getty Images WP-WSJ-0003895855 BlackRock Plans to Make the Corporate 401(k) Look More Like a Pension The investment manager aims to overhaul target-date funds with more options for employers. https://www.wsj.com/personal-finance/retirement/how-blackrock-plans-to-make-the-corporate-401-k-look-more-like-a-pension-ace965f9?mod=rss_personalfinance Wed, 16 Sep 2026 10:00:00 GMT Jack Pitcher John Taggart/Bloomberg News WP-WSJ-0003879618 WSJ Readers Share the Life Lessons Learned From Saving for Retirement Responding to an article about a saving formula favored by young people, retirees weigh in on their highs and lows. https://www.wsj.com/personal-finance/retirement/wsj-readers-share-the-life-lessons-learned-from-saving-for-retirement-494cf093?mod=rss_personalfinance Thu, 10 Sep 2026 22:01:00 GMT Ben Eisen Nick Cobbing WP-WSJ-0003867039 Young People Are Obsessed With This Simple Retirement-Savings Formula Calculating when you can coast on what you have already saved comes with its own pitfalls. https://www.wsj.com/personal-finance/retirement/young-people-are-obsessed-with-this-simple-retirement-savings-formula-d54f80b6?mod=rss_personalfinance Mon, 07 Sep 2026 09:30:00 GMT Oyin Adedoyin Getty Images WP-WSJ-0003863817 Pensions Were on the Brink of Extinction. Now Companies Are Bringing Them Back. Some companies are turning to the lost benefit to recruit employees or settle negotiations with labor unions. https://www.wsj.com/personal-finance/retirement/pensions-were-on-the-brink-of-extinction-now-companies-are-bringing-them-back-81b009dc?mod=rss_personalfinance Sun, 06 Sep 2026 23:00:00 GMT Anne Tergesen Uncredited WP-WSJ-0003831929 When Your Bumper 401(k) Is a Tax Problem Waiting to Happen Having retirement dollars mainly in traditional savings plans can handcuff older workers. https://www.wsj.com/personal-finance/retirement/when-your-bumper-401-k-is-a-tax-problem-waiting-to-happen-2e0e5ad4?mod=rss_personalfinance Fri, 21 Aug 2026 09:30:00 GMT Laura Saunders Kiersten Essenpreis for WSJ WP-WSJ-0003917508 The Rise of the Almost-Premium Credit Card Higher annual fees on top-tier cards have led to a reshuffling of the market, with cards just below that level targeting the not-quite-rich enough. https://www.wsj.com/personal-finance/credit/the-rise-of-the-almost-premium-credit-card-f6d22ebd?mod=rss_personalfinance Fri, 25 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMT Ben Glickman Jasmine Li Mark Von Holden/AP WP-WSJ-0003815971 Gen Z Has Just Discovered the Premium Rewards Credit Card Young people have the time to maximize perks. American Express and JPMorgan Chase want to lure them to their high-end cards. https://www.wsj.com/personal-finance/credit/gen-z-has-just-discovered-the-premium-rewards-credit-card-a800e294?mod=rss_personalfinance Tue, 18 Aug 2026 09:30:00 GMT Elyse Goncalves Oyin Adedoyin Kevin Lin; Esha Desai WP-WSJ-0003737893 Debt Collectors Chase More Consumers in Court Researchers tracked lawsuits in eight states where collectors use the courts to garnish wages and recover medical, credit card, utility and other debt. https://www.wsj.com/personal-finance/credit/debt-collectors-chase-more-consumers-in-court-f8d0ed3f?mod=rss_personalfinance Thu, 16 Jul 2026 15:00:00 GMT Dan Frosch Uncredited WP-WSJ-0003609050 Americans Are Falling Behind on Their $1.25 Trillion Credit-Card Bill Soaring interest rates and stubborn inflation have led to the highest delinquencies since the financial crisis. More families are shifting to “a pattern of survival debt.” https://www.wsj.com/personal-finance/credit/us-credit-card-debt-af5c7c77?mod=rss_personalfinance Fri, 29 May 2026 21:43:00 GMT Dan Frosch Alexandra Citrin-Safadi/WSJ WP-WSJ-0003557298 The Super Prime Credit Score Club Is Growing Rapidly Young people in particular have powered a rise in the number of Americans with credit scores over 780. https://www.wsj.com/personal-finance/credit/the-super-prime-credit-score-club-is-growing-rapidly-a01de5ca?mod=rss_personalfinance Wed, 06 May 2026 15:45:00 GMT Oyin Adedoyin Getty Images WP-WSJ-0003773438 The Simple Mental Tricks That Make Us Better With Money The digital environment makes it so easy to spend money. The key is to put a little friction between us and our purchases. https://www.wsj.com/personal-finance/savings/brain-hacking-better-with-money-e61514ce?mod=rss_personalfinance Fri, 07 Aug 2026 15:00:00 GMT Julia Carpenter Eglė Plytnikaitė WP-WSJ-0003434326 Gen Z Is Trading the Neighborhood Bar for the Spin Studio Twenty-somethings are drinking less, exercising more—and changing the way they socialize with others. https://www.wsj.com/personal-finance/savings/gen-z-exercise-f33af2da?mod=rss_personalfinance Fri, 10 Apr 2026 16:00:00 GMT Oyin Adedoyin Maya Nguyen for WSJ WP-WSJ-0003192947 Financial Discipline Is an Easy Resolution to Make, but a Hard One to Keep We all say we want to save more and spend less. The key is to think more broadly. https://www.wsj.com/personal-finance/savings/financial-discipline-new-years-resolution-e0e636d2?mod=rss_personalfinance Tue, 30 Dec 2025 18:00:00 GMT Annabelle Williams Eliot Wyatt for WSJ WP-WSJ-0003005225 He Works Full Time and Goes to College. Is He Saving Enough? Will West wants to get a master’s degree and then own a house within 10 years. A financial adviser weighs in. https://www.wsj.com/personal-finance/savings/college-full-time-work-savings-goals-0f7c96f4?mod=rss_personalfinance Tue, 14 Oct 2025 16:00:00 GMT Lisa Ward Will West WP-WSJ-0002271468 The One Day a Year I Spend a Lot of Money I keep a tight rein on my spending throughout the year. But for my birthday, I focus on what I want, not just what I need. https://www.wsj.com/personal-finance/savings/budget-tips-how-to-splurge-special-occasions-c7d1b207?mod=rss_personalfinance Sat, 04 Jan 2025 13:00:00 GMT Cordilia James Kanitharin Thailamtong WP-WSJ-0003937441 How 7% Mortgages Are Wrecking the Home-Buyer Playbook With prices at record highs and inventory locked up, house hunters are left with dwindling financing options. https://www.wsj.com/personal-finance/mortgages/rising-mortgage-rates-and-record-prices-leave-home-buyers-out-of-moves-90606a4a?mod=rss_personalfinance Thu, 01 Oct 2026 09:30:00 GMT Nicholas G. Miller David Paul Morris/Bloomberg News WP-WSJ-0003899460 The New Rules for Selling Your Home With Mortgage Rates Near 7% Real-estate agents are giving much different advice these days than they did five years ago. https://www.wsj.com/personal-finance/mortgages/the-new-rules-for-selling-your-home-with-mortgage-rates-near-7-b4628469?mod=rss_personalfinance Thu, 17 Sep 2026 16:28:00 GMT Nicholas G. Miller Veronica Dagher Gabby Jones for WSJ WP-WSJ-0003882456 The Simple Request That Could Lower Your Mortgage Rate Lenders can now consult two different credit-scoring models and pick the one that results in the lower rate. https://www.wsj.com/personal-finance/mortgages/the-simple-request-that-could-lower-your-mortgage-rate-9c4ddc2e?mod=rss_personalfinance Thu, 10 Sep 2026 23:00:00 GMT Veronica Dagher Rebecca Noble/Bloomberg News WP-WSJ-0003704382 What to Know Before Doing a Cash-Out Refinancing on Your Home Check the costs and estimate monthly payments to see if you can afford the new mortgage’s terms https://www.wsj.com/personal-finance/mortgages/cash-out-refinancing-home-mortgage-cf8cd637?mod=rss_personalfinance Tue, 04 Aug 2026 13:50:00 GMT Lori Ioannou Kiersten Essenpreis for WSJ WP-WSJ-0003098169 Will a 50-Year Mortgage Make Homes More Affordable? Here’s How It Would Work. A mortgage this long would reduce a home buyer’s monthly payments, but the interest owed would be much higher. https://www.wsj.com/personal-finance/mortgages/will-a-50-year-mortgage-make-homes-more-affordable-heres-how-it-would-work-9f9a1b2e?mod=rss_personalfinance Mon, 10 Nov 2025 20:14:00 GMT Rebecca Picciotto Nicole Friedman Angela Owens/WSJ